Dr.R.S.Sharma
Distinguished Visiting Professor, IIT Kanpur , Former CEO,NHA Former Chairman, TRAI
Distinguished Visiting Professor, IIT Kanpur (India)

Dr. R. S. Sharma, a distinguished officer of the 1978 batch of the Indian Administrative Service, has spent over four decades shaping India’s digital governance landscape. As CEO of the National Health Authority (2021–2023), he oversaw Ayushman Bharat–PMJAY, the world’s largest health insurance program, and spearheaded the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM), establishing India’s digital health infrastructure. During the COVID‑19 pandemic, he chaired the Empowered Group on Vaccine Administration and led the creation. of CoWIN, globally recognized for enabling one of the world’s largest vaccination drives and later repurposed for universal immunization and organ donation systems . From 2015 to 2020, as Chairman of TRAI, Dr. Sharma championed consumer‑centric regulation, net neutrality, data‑driven policymaking, and the adoption of emerging technologies such as blockchain. Internationally, he contributed to ITU initiatives such as the Digital Identity Roadmap Guide and the Digital ID Toolkit, influencing global digital identity frameworks. Earlier, as Secretary of the Department of Electronics and IT, he played a central role in implementing Digital India. He championed open standards and built foundational digital platforms including Digital Locker, eSign, eKYC, ORS, and Jeevan Pramaan. As Director General of UIDAI (2009–2013), he co‑led the design and rollout of Aadhaar, now the world’s largest biometric identity system. His leadership enabled Aadhaar‑based authentication, direct benefit transfers, and large‑scale elimination of duplicate beneficiaries . Dr. Sharma is currently a Distinguished Visiting Professor at IIT Kanpur, where he teaches and mentors digital health DPI initiatives. He also serves on advisory bodies including ONDC and the International Advisory Group of the Center for Open Societal Systems.